4 Marion County Fire Rescue employees arrested for hazing, waterboarding coworker, deputies say
By Allison Petro
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MARION COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — Multiple Marion County Fire Rescue employees were arrested and behind bars Wednesday following an alleged “violent hazing” incident involving a new co-worker, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said the incident occurred at Fire Station 21 located in Ocala on Nov. 16 and involved a 19-year-old co-worker who’s only been with the department for five months.
According to documents obtained by WESH 2, the victim said he was already being harassed that day when co-workers rubbed grease on him and later threw out his belongings after one co-worker started a false rumor about him disposing of leftover pizza.
Later in the day, court documents state the victim told his co-workers that his large follower count on Instagram was tied to a since-deleted Tik Tok video showing his dancing.
The co-workers tried to find the video but couldn’t.
The victim told prosecutors, as the day continued, one of the defendants would throw his work boots in the parking lot.
He said when he went to retrieve them, he was grabbed from behind and held by two other defendants while a third pulled down his pants and underwear and hit him with a belt, attempting to get him to tell them his phone password.
The victim was then dragged across the parking lot, where the firefighters reportedly used a water bottle and towel to waterboard him three times.
Deputies said 22-year-old Edward Kenny III, 22-year-old Seth Day and 19-year-old Tate Trauthwein were arrested for kidnapping, robbery and battery.
Kaylee Bradley, 25, was arrested for robbery and principal/accessory to robbery.
“During this whole incident, the victim fought and refused to cooperate and made it abundantly clear to each of them that this was outside of what he thought maybe could be perceived as something minor,” said Sheriff Billy Woods.
The firefighters were terminated, according to James Banta, the chief of Marion County Fire Rescue.
“Their behavior does not reflect who we are and what we stand for,” Banta said.
“What occurred was unacceptable, inexcusable, and fundamentally contrary to the core values of our fire department.”
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